The land where motorrads are born
by Earthboy111
Summary: It's been a while I know but I'm finally getting back to all my stories.
1. Chapter 1

Hermes flew down the stone road, Kino holding the handlebars tightly. The occasional backfire of the engine reminding them both of just why they were in such a hurry. _"_

_Kino, don't you think going this fast will make my condition worse?"_

"_I don't see how, that part is about as bad as it's going to get, the faster we get it replaced the better, besides I've always wanted to visit "The country where motorrads were born"…haven't you?" _

Kino asked, leaning her head back, seeing the thin line of smoke they were leaving behind. "_Not particularly, should I?" _

"_Well it's said all motorrads were built there and sent out into the world, everyone wants to go visit home at some point right?"_

_"_"_Do you Kino?" _Hermes asked just as the country came into view, the question unanswered, replaced by an obvious statement from the rider. _"_"_"I think we're here." _

In the distance they saw, what looked to be a small city though oddly enough it didn't seem all that industrialized, there were no smoke stacks, billowing blackness into the sky, like in other countries famous for producing machines. Kino brought Hermes to a full stop, and reached into her pocket to retrieve her scope.

_"This is odd, it looks like there's a guard booth." _

"_"I don't see how that's very odd Kino."_

"_Well normally no it wouldn't be, but this one is at least a mile away from the main gate. It's just sitting there next to the road."_

"_ "I wonder what that's all about." "Suppose we'll find out when we get there." _

Kino took off once again, though at a more conservative speed knowing the guard post was coming up. Once they'd reached the free standing hut with the long striped arm hanging over the road, (despite open fields on either side.) they came to a full stop once again. Kino turned looking through the small window at a perplexed looking guard. _"Excuse me, is this the way to "The country where motorrads were born?" _She asked in her usual fashion. The guard moved from the small booth scratching his head, and upon looking down upon what this young….(girl?) rode became somewhat distraught. _"Uhm, please state your name and business."_

"_ "I'm Kino, I'm a traveler my motorrad here seems to be in need of a replacement part." _

The guard looked for a long time at the motorrad and then back up to Kino, though at this point he wore a more pleasant if not somewhat astounded fate. _"So that IS a motorrad." _He finally said, which caused Kino a great deal of confusion. _"You've never seen a motorrad before?"_ She inquired, maybe they'd gotten bad directions.

_"Well not a real one, they gave me a picture so I would know what one looks like…Oh and yes, this is the way." _ It was Kino's turn to look perplexed now those two statements seeming contradictory. _"So you're saying this is the way, and that you're guarding the road, and that you've never seen a motorrad before?" _The guard slapped his head as if coming to some great realization.

_''Of course, you don't know the rules, sorry I was suppose to tell you when you told me you were a traveler..." _ He clears his throat looking rather excited, the same way a child does when their parent allows them to help with something for the very first time.

_"Rule number one: no traveler may stay more then three days." _That got her attention

right away, but she said nothing and allowed him to continue. _"Rule two: No motorrads are allowed within one mile of the country's borders. Rule three: All motorrad riders must bring in at least one part from said motorrad into the country with them."_

Kino had come across odd laws and customs before and these were certainly that. _"I'll need you to answer me a few questions before I decide whether to go in or not. What happens to my motorrad while I'm inside?"_

_"I'll store it in the guard house, it has a lock and a sturdy door, you'll also be given our solemn promise no damage will befall it." _

_"Okay next question, can the part I bring in be the broken one I need replaced?"_

"_"Shouldn't be a problem." _

"_Alright then, that's all I need, I'll go in and be back here at sundown in three days." _

"_KINO, you're just going to leave me out here." "_

"_He'll take good care of you Hermes and besides we're too far out to risk getting your part anywhere else." "_

_"_"_Well when you put it that way…just try to be quick about it."_ "

Kino nodded and knelt down, to remove the offending part and the motorrad went cold. _"Well then I guess I'm walking from here, take care of Hermes for me." _Kino said staring straight into the guard's eyes, her own narrowing slightly making them slightly menacing through her goggles. _"Uh yes…I promise."_ Kino smiled a half smile and nodded before wrapping the part in a cloth and slipping it into her pocket. She turned seeing the short road ahead to the country, and began walking.


	2. Chapter 2

Kino came to the front gate of the city, the large wooden doors swung out on either side. They were green on the edges and the grass had grown tall around them as if they'd not been closed in years. A single guard in a similar uniform to that of the one worn by the one on the side of the road.

The guard smiled at her. "_You must be the traveler, the road guard radioed ahead and told me to expect you, is it true you came on a motorrad?_"

Kino nodded and held up the part that she'd been instructed to bring in. "_So you've never seen a motorrad either I take it?_"

The guard shook his head. "_Well no actually, you'll find very few people here have actually seen a completed motorrad._" Kino was throughly confused now and it showed on her face, her question would have been obvious even if she didn't ask it. "_If this is the land where motorrads are born...why is it no one has seen one?_"

Before the gate guard could attempt an answer, a soft masculine voice answered. "_I think I can help explain._" Kino turned to find a young man now standing in the shadow of the gates. He was slim, and not but a few years older than her. His hair was short and brown, eyes green behind a thin pair of glasses which he adjusted.

"_I'm the tour guide assigned to you traveler, and I have to say I am very excited to meet you, we haven't gotten a traveler in over seventeen years._" There was something sad about the way he said that, his eyes shifting down away from her. "_I'm Kino, and as I said, I'll be your tour guide during your stay._"

Kino...our Kino stared at the boy after she'd learned his name. "_...And you are?_" He asked seeing the blank expression on her face. "_I'm...Lily._" She relied, not even sure why she was lying.

"_Well Lily, let me officially welcome you to the land where motorrads are born. Please come with me, and I'll answer your question from earlier._" Kino motioned for Lily to follow as he turned to begin walking back through the gate and into the city, so Lily followed.

The road beneath their feet was cobblestone, which lead down a long line of houses, each of considerable size. On the side of each house hung a large iron box, much larger than one would expect for normal postage. "_The answer to your question is a complicated one Lily, but I've spent a lot of time practicing the answer. You see a long time ago our founder invented the first motorrad, in another country. Obviously it was a big hit and he soon became a very rich man, so rich infact he left that country, and came out here where he built his factory._" Kino pointed forward, and at the very end of the road was a massive factory, though no smoke came from it's stacks and no machinery could be heard in operation there in.

"_That's how this country got started, people from all over wanted to come and work on motorrads. So they built homes around the factory, and roads so that they could enjoy the fruits of their labor. In fact, all roads in this country originate from the factory, and branch off. Farms were started and shops opened, and our country was born. For many years we thrived our economy revolving around the motorrad factory. Then everything changed, the union unsatisfied (Whether justified or not) with their wages began building their own motorrads to sell for themselves. The executives of the factory also serve as our government, and when they heard what the union men were doing, they sent in their soldiers. The union fought back, and soon everyone had taken a side, it was civil war, fought on the seats of motorrads. The fighting lasted a full year, and hundreds died. Finally the factory's soldiers won out, the union was disbanded, and a new system was put into place. The people would no longer work for wages, rather the work they do for the factory will pay for everything from schools to roadwork, money would be earned through any other jobs done, like running a shop or working a farm. Also, no one was ever allowed to build, ride, or even see a completed motorrad again. No one here even knows what they look like anymore._

Lily listened to her guide's story in silence, only offering up her questions when it came to an end.

"_But you said the factory is still in business, and that people work to pay for schools, if no is allowed to build motorrads how does that work?"_

Kino pointed to a house not far ahead of them, a little blonde girl with pigtails, in a green sundress steps from the front door. In her hand was a small piece of metal pipe, which she slips into the metal box on the side of the house.

"_In addition to whatever jobs people have to make money, each family is responsible for building a single part a day, they put their part in those boxes, they are collected and brought to the factory, where only direct descendents of the inventor are allowed to construct full motorrads._

It seemed a little odd to Lily, but then again where was the fun in traveling if everything ended up being the same. "_Well that explains why there are so few motorrads anymore, even with a big family they can't be making very many at a time._"

Kino turned back to her, impressed with how quickly she seemed to grasp the situation. "_Well that is true, we don't make a lot of new ones, but most of our parts get shipped out to shops to sell to motorrad owners like you._"

"_Well I suppose that makes more sense, so do you have any idea which family is responsible for this part?_" Lily asks holding up the part she needs replaced.

"_You can't go directly to the family, I'll take you to the factory tommorow and you can request the part there._" Kino was elated, he was able to do the job he'd trained for, a real traveler had come, and a girl close to his own age at that. Maybe it was just the excitement of "the new" but he couldn't help but feel the slightest hint of attraction towards her, finding her "unusual" style of dress adding to that growing affection

Lily simply nodded before asking. "_So...about your name._"


	3. Chapter 3

". . ._It's pretty unususal isn't it?" _Kino asked as she matched the stride of the tour guide, eyes alternating between him and the people hurriedly putting their parts in the large metal boxes.

"_Is it, I wouldn't know I've never been out of this country, it's one of the laws, once you leave you can't come back." _Still trying to steer the conversation back to the culture of his country, looking somewhat uncomfortable talking about himself.

"_So the guard?" _Kino looked perplexed a moment, before nodding with understanding.

"_Oh the one out on the road, it's like a voluntary exile, he lives out there food, water, and letters are brought to him by the same auto-postman that collects the parts at the end of the day."_ Demonstrating his point by extending his hand towards what looked like a minaturized dump truck with a set of mechanical arms out stretched on either side, the exhaust on the back sputtering out light clouds of smoke as it rolled along collecting the parts from each home.

Lily nodded knowing better than to question the traditions of any of the countries she visits. "_I see, is there any where in town I can rent a room for the next few days?" _

Kino shook his head. "_No sorry, I mean we're so far out of the way, and our three day law doesn't make this a very appealing spot for travelers, any inn would go out of business pretty quick. As a tour guide I'm obliged to offer you a room in my home though." _He hid the blush on his face with the collar of his jacket as best he could. Unaccustomed to speaking with members of the opposite sex, let alone one his own age.

"_Well if it isn't any trouble I don't suppose I have much choice."_ She noticed the color coming to his cheeks, not that he'd poorly hidden it, Lily knew how to watch people carefully, a defense mechanism, should anyone wish her ill she'd know it by their face. This look however was alien to her, a flushed face usually meant guilt but there were no other signs of it, no indication he might be leading her into a trap. There was also the matter of his face itself, familiar almost comforting, though she knew there was no way the two of them could have ever met before. Without realizing it, she was blushing herself as well, and studied him too close or too long causing him to notice when they came to a stop.

"_Do I have something on my face." _She shook her head with a somewhat awkward half smile on her face.

"_No it's just you remind me, of someone that I don't quite remember."_ Cryptic as her words were he understood, there was something about her that gave him that same feeling, though not her face.

"_Anyway, this is my home."_ Making a sweeping motion with his arm towards a small two story building, not far from the main gate, like all the others this house also had a large metal box on the front.

"_I sent word to my mother someone would be joining us for dinner." _With that he motioned for her to follow as he made his way up the steps and onto the porch. As they pushed their way through the old door, it's paint peeling Lily smiles a little smelling the food Kino's mother was preparing. She was a stocky woman, only a few inches taller than her son. She was stood over the large gas oven when they walked into the kitchen, turning to greet her son and the traveler the color drained from her face.

"_Kino!" _Eyes locked on the girl who'd been calling herself Lily, not her son.


End file.
